Motion video cameras with built in recorders ("camcorders") are well known and popular. Such camcorders are well suited for recording motion scenes over fairly long times (e.g. up to about 2 hours). However, current camcorders have relatively low recorded picture quality due to limitations in the optical and particularly the electrical camera components (such as the sensor of the camcorder). Due to this fact, conventional still cameras using light sensitive silver halide emulsions which are chemically processed, have still retained their popularity. When a consumer wishes to obtain a high quality image of a scene the conventional still camera using a silver halide emulsion film is the medium of choice since it provides unparalleled image quality with low cost. This leads to the situation where a consumer often carries both a camcorder and a conventional film camera since he is not always aware in advance as to whether he might wish to capture a relatively lower quality motion video image, or the higher quality still photographic image.
It has been known to attach two cameras together as a combination. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,383 provides both a motion video camera and a conventional film camera in a single housing. However, since the respective lenses of the two cameras are spaced apart they do not observe a scene to be captured from the same angle. This difference in scene angle, known as parallax, is more severe the closer an object in the scene is to the two cameras. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,794 similarly discloses two cameras attached to a common bracket. U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,794 attempts to correct parallax by providing a correcting prism which can be manually installed in front of one camera lens when close objects are to be captured, and removed when relatively distant objects are to be captured. Such additional manual attachment/removal of another piece of equipment is not appreciated by consumers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,353 also provides both a motion video camera and conventional still film camera in a single housing and completely avoids the parallax problem by moving the video camera sensor into the same optical path used by the still camera, when it is desired to capture motion video. However, aside from requiring assembly of a relatively complex new mechanism, the movement of the sensor into the still camera optical path prevents simultaneous capture of both motion video and still images. U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,983 provides a dual camera arrangement wherein an over-sized image sensor is used for one of the cameras, and only part of the image on the sensor which overlaps with the viewing region of the other camera, is used. This arrangement requires an expensive over-sized sensor much of the area of which is then unused. U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,325 describes a portrait camera system with two cameras on a common mount, and inter-connected zoom controls. Parallax correction is provided by a manually rotatable screw. While this system may be adequate in a portrait situation where distances to the subject being photographed remain relatively constant, it is not practical for capturing real world scenes with objects continually moving closer to and away from the cameras, thereby necessitating continual re-adjustment of the screw.
It would be desirable then, to provide a dual camera, particularly a motion video and still film camera, in one system, which provides a relatively simple method of automatic parallax correction. It would further be desirable if such a system allowed for simultaneous capture of images on both cameras, and which system could be relatively inexpensively constructed from existing components.